Warehouse-door.



W. A. GROSS.

WAREHOUSE DOOR.

APPLIOATION FILED 11111.22, 1912.

Patnted Apr. 29, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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WAREHOUSE DOOR APPLICATION FILED JAN.22,1912.

eratras Parana orator...

\VILLIAM A. CROSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WAREH USE-Doom Specification of Letters Patent.

To aZLwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. Cross, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook, State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vare--house-Doors, of which the followingis a specification. i

This invention relates to that class of warehouse doors which are formedin sections; hinged together horizontally and adapted to fold togetherin a vertical direction in the opening movement of the door. And thepresent improvement has for its object to provide a simple and effiitsoperating mechanism, embodying the present invention. Fig. 2, is an endelevation, with parts 1n section on line xm, Fig.

\ 4, showing the door in an unfolded posit-ion closing the doorway, andillustrating in dotted lines a partially open condition of the upperdoor section. Fig. 3, is a similar view with the door in an elevated andopen position. Fig. 4, is a detail horizontal section on line wm, Fig.1.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the door frame or casingprovided with the usual vertical guideways 2, at its respective sides,and preferably of the construction hereinafter described in detail.

3 and 4 are the respective upper and lower sections of the doorconnected together at their meeting edges by hinge connections 5,

'so as to fold and unfold in the opening and closing movements of thedoor.

In the present constructionthe upper corners of the upper door section 3are provided with counterpart angular hanger bars 6, preferably of thecurved shape shown, and each of which is provided with a pair of lateralbearing studs 7 and 8, which in turn are preferably provided with theusual loose friction reducing sleeves or rollers, for

movement in the track grooves hereinafter described. In the presentconstruction the aforesaid lateral studs 7 and 8, are arranged inangular and separated relation as shown and for the functionshereinafter stated.

9 are counterpart suspension brackets se-v to the hanger bars 6aforesaid for operative engagement therewith.

Said suspension brackets are formed with vertically disposed trackgrooves or slots 10, of a reflex and approximately right-angle form, andwith each groove or slot comprising upper and lower reversely arrangedbranches the junction of which is disposed at a point removed from thedoor frame, while the terminals of said upper and lower branches aredisposed at points adjacent to the door frame as shown. The length ofeach branch aforesaid is approximately the same as the distance whichseparates a pair of the lateral bearingstuds 7 and 8 above described,and which studs have individual engagement and movement in the aforesaidbranches of the groove or slot 10. The described construction providedthe means of support for the door as well as for guiding the upper doorsection in the folding and unfolding movements of the door sections, andthe pairs of lateral studs 7 and 8 will occupy the lower portions of theabove described branches of the grooves or slots 10, when the doorsections are in an unfolded condition, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,to constitute the closure for the doorway. Vith an upward and foldingmovement of the door sections, by mechanism hereinafter described, theupper lateral studs 7 will move toward the door frame in the upperbranches of the guide slots 10, while the lower lateral studs 8 willmove away from the door frame in the lower branches of the guide slots10, and accordingly, with such movements imposed on the pairs of lateralstuds, the upper door section will gradually swing from the verticalposition shown in Fig. 2, into the horizontal posit-ion shown in Fig. 3,as a fully opened condition of the doorway is attained.

In the vertical swinging movement of the upper door section from avertical to a horizontal posit-ion above referred to, the upper end ofsaid door section will have a downward swing, with the lower lateralbearing studs Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

lower door section 4 8 for a pivot, to clear the upper portion of thedoor frame as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

As usual in the present type of sectional doors, the lower end of thelower door section 4, is confined to vertical travel in the opening andclosing movements of the door, by sliding engagement with the verticalguideways 2, of the door frame 1 aforesaid. In the present constructionsuch sliding con nection is attained bythe following detail constructionand arrangement of parts.

11 are brackets secured to the respective lower corners of the lowerdoor section and provided with laterally projecting horizon tal arbors12, for pivotal connection with the wheeled carriage nowto be described.

13 are carriages formed with pivot sleeves 14 for pivotal connectionwith the arbors 12 of the aforesaid bracket 11, and provided with trackwheels 15, adapted to travel upon the innervertical faces of the doorframe 1.

16 are lateral lugs on the carriages 13 for engagement in the verticalrecesses of the guideways 2, and adapted to prevent lateral or inwardmovement of the lower end of the in the operation of the door. 4 I

17 are short upwardly extending eye bars,

the lower ends of which have pivotal engagement with the arbors 12aforesaid, while their upper ends have connection with the raising andlowering chains of the windlass mechanism now to be deserlbed.

18 are pulleys mounted upon the wall of the building at a point abovethe upper corners of the upper door section 3, aforesaid.

19 are chains or like flexible connect-ions,

passing around said pulleys 18, and con nected to the eye bars 17 of thecarriages 13 aforesaid, and to a counterbalance weight 20, at one sideof the. doorway, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1. P

21 is a gear wheel secured to the shaft of one of the pulleys 18,aforesaid, and 22 is a countershaft carrying a pinion 23, having drivingconnection with the gear wheel 21, aforesaid.

24 is a chain sheave carried by the countershaft 2 and provided with anendless operating chain 25, by which the mechanism is in the mannerheretofore described in connection with the lateral bearing studs 7 and8, and the reflex grooves or slot-s10 of the suspension brackets 9. Inthe lowering and closing movement of the door, the lower end of thelower door section 4 initially moves downward to effect an operation ofthe door sections in a reverse manner to that heretofore set forth inconnectionwith the opening movement of the door.

Having thus fully described .my said'invent-ion what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a door, a door frame, and a connecting meanscomprising a hanger member attached to the upper end of the door, and abracket member attached to the door frame, one of said members having avertically disposed track groove of a reflex form, and the other of saidmembers having a pair of separated lateral bearing studs which engageand move in the reflex tracki groove aforesaid, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination of a door, a door frame, and a connecting meanscomprising a hanger member attached to the upper end of the door, and abracket member attached to the door frame, one of said members having avertically disposed track groove of a right-angle form, and the other ofsaid members having a pair of separated lateral bearing studs whichengage and move in the track groove aforesaid, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination of a door formed in upper and lower sections hingedtogether horizontally, a door frame, a vertical guideway at the side ofthe door frame adapted for guiding engagement with the lower end of thelower section of the door, means for connecting the upper door sectionto the frame, the same comprising a hanger member attached to the upperdoor section and a bracket member attached to the door frame, one ofsaid members having a vertically disposed track groove of reflex form,and the other of said members aving a pair of separated lateral bearingstuds which engage and move in the reflex track groove aforesaid, and araising and lowering mechanism having engagement wlth the lower end ofthe lower door section.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 12th day of January 1912.

WI LIAM A. CROSS.

- -Witnesses: Y

ROBERT BURNS, HENRY MOE.

